Chapter 367 I Only Date, I Don't Marry
Inviting Nova to the birthday bash to make her back off?
Maud mulled it over for a sec and nodded. "Yeah, that’s a solid plan."
"Totally. She’ll get a taste of the Abbott family’s vibe."
"Right. Nova might be rolling in dough in Novaria, but a Lindwell heir ain't too shabby either. Way better than some divorced chick with a kid."
Maud thought Nova was acting all high and mighty just 'cause she was a super VIP. Knowing she was Aaron's mom and still not giving a damn—so damn annoying!
Vivian dropped her gaze to hide the spite in her eyes. One day, she'd make those who looked down on her grovel and beg.
These rich folks—Maud, Nova, and that greedy Elaine. She wouldn't let any of them off the hook.
Outside, Susanna and Elaine hit up a nearby café.
Elaine chuckled, "Nova, wasn't it a riot how Vivian made a fool of herself? She's so full of herself, trying to act all posh, and then bam, she gets smacked down."
Susanna gave a sly smile, "By the way, Elaine, Mrs. Maud Abbott seemed pretty into your bag."
"I know, Aunt Maud and Mrs. Rodriguez were fighting over this bag, but I snagged it. I'm just waiting for Aunt Maud to come crawling so I can put her in her place."
"Elaine, Mrs. Maud Abbott is still an elder. Isn't that a bit much?"
"Whatever, once you tie the knot with Aaron, you'll have my back. Aunt Maud doesn’t run things, and the Abbott family doesn’t listen to her. You can just ignore her."
Hearing Elaine badmouth Maud for her own gain, a flicker of mockery flashed in Susanna's eyes. This was exactly what she wanted.
Stirring up trouble within the Abbott family to create chaos.
After all, when she married into the Abbott family as a nobody, Maud and Elaine made her life hell. Now, it was payback time.
After finishing her coffee, Susanna wanted to bounce, not wanting to waste more time with Elaine.
She said straight up, "Elaine, I'll have my assistant bring your shopping bags over. My daughter’s still in the hospital, and I need to get back to her."
"Sure thing, Nova. Don’t forget to come early to the birthday party tomorrow."
Susanna was caught off guard, "Birthday party tomorrow?"
"Yeah, did you forget? Tomorrow’s Aunt Maud’s birthday bash. As Aaron’s girl, you gotta be there."
Susanna had totally spaced on that. She smiled, "We’ll see."
She had her assistant bring over the fancy shopping bags, and Elaine eagerly tore into them, snapping selfies for social media.
Susanna glanced at her and then dipped, whispering to her assistant, "Did you swap the stuff?"
"All replaced with top-notch fakes. Without the real ones to compare, no one will know."
Susanna grinned, "Nice job."
After hopping in the car and eyeing the real luxury items inside, she thought to herself that she and Elaine were just playing a game. She wasn’t dumb enough to give Elaine real luxury goods for free.
She was a businesswoman and never made a losing deal.
"Find out where Maud's birthday party is going down tomorrow."
Whether she showed up or not, it was always smart to be ready.
Susanna headed back to the hospital, feeling a bit jittery about the compatibility test results coming out tomorrow night.
Even though she knew the match rate between Aaron and Charles was over ninety percent, she couldn't help but worry until the results were in.
After dinner with Lillian, Aaron showed up.
Lillian's eyes lit up when she saw him. "What's in the box?" she asked.
Two bodyguards beside Aaron lugged in a big box, clearly holding something massive.
Aaron answered softly, "You'll see in a sec."
Susanna was curious too about what Aaron had gotten for Lillian.
Soon, the bodyguards set the box down and opened it, revealing a miniature castle model inside.
"It's so beautiful."
Lillian was stunned, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Susanna was surprised and looked at him. "Did you get this just for her?"
"I saw it while checking out a store today. Lillian gets bored stuck in the hospital room, and I thought this might cheer her up. I heard she’d love it."
Lillian nodded obediently. "I really like it."
But even though she was thrilled, Lillian stayed in bed and didn't move, instead looking at Susanna.
Susanna got the hint and nodded. "Finish your meal first, then you can play."
"Okay, Mommy."
Lillian focused on eating, more seriously than usual.
Susanna and Aaron stepped outside the hospital room. She glanced at the gift inside. "Thanks. Lillian really loves it."
Aaron responded calmly, "Glad she does."
Susanna looked up at him and said, "Mr. Abbott, you're really good to Lillian. No wonder she likes you so much and wants you to be her dad."
Aaron looked at Lillian playing happily in the room, his lips curling slightly. "Actually, I don't really like kids, but Lillian is very endearing."
"Lillian's always been a cheerful kid, and everyone likes her."
"If she lives in Lindwell in the future, she should adapt quickly."
Susanna was surprised and looked at him. "Mr. Abbott, what do you mean by that?"
"Aren't we dating?"
"Yeah, but where Lillian lives doesn't change anything between us."
Aaron looked down at her, his voice deep. "I only date with marriage in mind, so in the future, I plan to bring you both to live in Lindwell. Don't worry, I'll give Lillian the best life."
Susanna met Aaron's serious gaze and instinctively looked away, gazing at the scenery outside the window. "Mr. Abbott, maybe we have different takes on dating. I only date, I don't marry."
"Why?"
"Marriage is the grave of love. I don't want to go through it again."
She felt a bit uneasy. Was Aaron serious, or was he testing her?
Aaron looked at the face identical to Susanna's in front of him, as if seeing Susanna standing there saying those words. He quickly looked away. "Tomorrow is my mom's birthday party. Can you make time to come?"
"Are you sure you want to invite me? After all, I don't like to take crap. If someone messes with me at the party, I won't just sit there."
Susanna looked at Aaron with a half-smile. He couldn't possibly be unaware of her clash with Maud at the fashion show today.
Aaron's gaze fell on her mischievous eyes, and he calmly said, "As my girl, you don't have to put up with anything."
